In a plot, I’m quite gratified that every attempt to remake this movie has failed to materialize; were Universal to remake it now, it would be a neo-slasher crap fest laced with nothing but screaming teenagers and a totally unsympathetic gore factory of a monster. And while there are purists out there who may claim that the Gill Man doesn’t really belong in the company of the other clssic Universal Monsters, the truth is that “The Creature From The Sad Lagoon” IS the last gargantuan Universal monster movie. What’s more, its sequels actually aren’t as unpleasant as others may want you to have, particularly since they do conclude the rare task of telling a different legend in each entry – more than the “Jaws” sequels could manage – and as the central sympathetic character of each fragment, the Creature himself does reveal essential character development over the course of three movies without degenerating into the high-camp reach that has since destroyed the likes of Jason Vorhees and Freddy Krueger.
Buy,Download, Or Stream Creature from the Black Lagoon – The Legacy Collection! Click Here
DISC ONE:
CREATURE FROM THE Unlit LAGOON
Buy,Download, Or Stream Creature from the Black Lagoon – The Legacy Collection! Click Here
Where better to begin than the beginning? You probably know the drill: a group of scientists – one of whom happens to spy particularly fair in a white bathing suit – putters down the Amazon in search of the fossils of a ‘missing link’ between man and fish, only to gain the living truth hiding out in a forgotten tributary. And it becomes determined that the Gill Man wants only two things: female companionship and solitude from everybody else. The area comely standard sci-fi fare for the 1950s (and earlier when you mediate the first two movies are naught but a submerged remake of ‘King Kong’, but more on that later), but it’s the execution of it that sets CFTBL above all other contenders of the era.
Under the expert direction of Jack Arnold, the cast is up to their task – as Kay Lawrence, Julia (Julie) Adams does sufficient acting to convince us she could have some scientific prowess despite her obedient screaming ability and astronomical legs; Richard Carlson does another friendly job of playing a scientist-hero type – something he was known for in ’50s sci-fi – as Kay’s fiance David Reed; Richard Denning makes a big antagonistic figure in the accomplish of David and Kay’s boss Heed Williams; and Nestor Paiva provides droll relief as Lucas, the eccentric captain of the RITA. Then, of course, there’s the ’star’, or rather both of him: Ben Chapman is the man inside the monster suit – with the slickest and most iconic monster develop of the ’50s – while topside, with Ricou Browning playing the Gill Man beneath the waves, a role he would reprise for the two sequels.
Filled with equal measures of emotional resonance, textbook dialogue and agreeable primitive shivers – accompanied by one of the most surprisingly functional ‘patchwork’ music scores ever produced – CFTBL is unquestionably the best monster movie of the ’50s, and one of the best sci-fi movies of that time.
BONUS FEATURES
Considering how few who were enthusiastic in making this movies are calm around today, Universal does an impressive job assembling its resources for the bonus features:
* The documentary “Abet To The Unlit Lagoon”, by film historian and Universal monster aficionado David Skal, provides some fascinating insights into the making of the Gill Man trilogy, including such revelations as:
- The studio’s fresh vision for the discover of the Gill Man, and what they intended to do with that stare after it was scrapped.
- The loyal makers of the Gill Man – including view artist Milicent Patrick and sculptors Chris Mueller and Jack Keban.
- Humorous anecdotes of on-set mishaps moving an eyebrow-raising trade-paper photo and a man-eating sea turtle.
- The principle gradual the 3-D in which the first two movies were filmed, and the truth gradual why the fad broken-down so snappy.
- Discussion about subtexts and implications in the films, and the progression of the Gill Man as a character.
* Audio commentary by film historian Tom Weaver, whose laborious dialogue drowns out the rest of the movie yet composed provides ever more sharp details into the making of the films – as he himself admits early on, he does have mighty more to say and short running times to do it in. Through these commentaries you learn such absorbing exiguous tidbits as what role Orson Welles played in the genesis of the Gill Man, and how the first two Gill Man movies resemble a positive classic movie about a giant ape.
* Theatrical trailers for the first film, which when watched back-to-back, as they’re presented, can rep a dinky stupid since most of the trailers believe the same rehashed footage and voiceover.
DISC TWO:
REVENGE OF THE CREATURE
A year has passed, and some more heavenly confident scientists determine to bewitch the Gill Man and bring him encourage to civilization and attach him on show in a marine life park, where he’s observed by a aesthetic blond icthyologist. I don’t deem I need to clarify the rest.
Needless to say, with a residence like that, you can safely steal none of the characters from the unusual film are going to build any return appearances, except for, of course, the funny relief, Nestor Paiva, and then for a cameo. Detached, John Agar as professor Clete Ferguson and Lori Nelson as icthyologist Helen Dobson do execute a cute scientist couple, with John Bromfield playing the obligatory macho shark-wrangler type/monster fodder Joseph Hayes. And there are two other very significant cameos – one a topside appearance by Ricou Browning as a lab tech, the other a comic appearance by a young Clint Eastwood. Tom Hennessey is the topside Gill Man this outing, with Browning aid in the suit for underwater shots.
Like most sequels, ROTC has its flaws, to be clear – one scene involves some visibly-imperfect wire work for one of the Gill Man’s victims, and for some reason the sculptors gave the classic Gill Man invent a pair of ping-pong-ball monster eyes, possibly for visibility purposes for the actors. But given the act it had to follow, ROTC is actually heavenly worthwhile…especially when you believe that this DID pick up remade by Universal, sort of, as “Jaws 3″. You figure out which one you’d rather eye.
THE CREATURE WALKS AMONG US
Fitting that for the last Gill Man movie, the Gill Man be forcibly removed from the undersea environment he’s at home in – this time by being doused in kerosene and flames by the dunderheaded assistant of obsessive scientist William Barton (Jeff Morrow), who’s obvious to reshape the Gill Man into a land-lubber – we never do fetch out why – unbiased as great as he’s distinct to do a complete subordinate out of his disillusioned child-bride wife Marcia (Leigh Snowden) . Once again, a nobler scientific mind enters the equation, Tom Morgan (Rex Reason), and his rescue of the Gill Man from positive death, combined with the Gill Man’s affinity for the opposite sex regardless of species, indicate favorable for Tom and Marcia when Dr. Barton begins eyeing those eyeing his wife with kill on his mind.
A lot of ‘fans’ don’t like this movie, but I do. It solidifies the two overall themes of the Gill Man movies – that humankind is its hold worst enemy, and that the Gill Man must deal with a world in which he doesn’t belong. The chemistry between the human characters closely resembles that of the first film – one scientific philosophy that suggests we could attend spiritually from what we learn, whereas another takes the path of benefitting materially from knowledge – and surprisingly, this time out the beast doesn’t acquire a beeline for the beauty, although he does reply her – maybe the Gill Man is honest tired of having his heart broken. The land-locked Gill Man is played by Don Megowan, with the character’s behold radically altered as the result of being burned (a site method re-used by Universal in “Jaws 2″ to cheesier execute) – heck, they even effect him in clothes! And Ricou Browning does earn one final appearance as the submerged Gill Man, with the befriend of stock footage from the first two films.
All in all, TCWAU does tie up the chronicle aesthetic effectively, if not necessarily happily – the last scene of the record is resplendent sunless – and with any luck Universal won’t besmirch what is a well-behaved trilogy of films with a crappy trend-driven remake.
BONUS FEATURES
* More audio commentary by Tom Weaver, joined by Bob Burns for ROTC and TCWAU, and Lori Nelson on ROTC. It’s fun to hear shared stories among the group, particularly Ms. Nelson talking about her film career and Burns sharing stories from members of the production team, so these commentaries are a lot less tight than that of the first film.
* More theatrical trailers, which are always a hoot, particularly the trailer for ROTC.
The bottom line: if you like your monster-movie series waterlogged, don’t extinguish your time with the “Jaws” sequels. Universal got it apt aid in the ’50s, and this is the proof. Catch this dwelling, by cracky!
As one of the six “Legacy” collections featuring the current Universal monsters, the Creature station has some distinctly unusual features. In one contrivance, it’s the sparsest collection, with only three movies, but it also is the only one with commentaries on all the films. Perhaps more importantly is the nature of the Creature himself. While the other monsters are either purely supernatural (Dracula, the Wolf Man), purely man-made (Frankenstein’s monster, the Invisible Man) or a combination of the two (the Mummy), only the Creature is a natural creature.
What also stands out in the Creature movies is that humanity in general comes off as the awful guys and the Creature is the most sympathetic figure. Acting in a generally defensive manner, the Creature is subjected to greater and greater torments. He actually is similar in this fashion to King Kong (which is not surprising, since the first two movies, when combined, are essentially remakes of that giant ape classic) .
As is typically the case, the first movie – The Creature from the Dark Lagoon – is the best in the bunch. Several scientists – as well as the necessary female like interest – go to South America in search of the bones of a legendary fish-man, only to secure a living one instead. The Creature develops an interest in the woman even as it wages war with the intruders in its Dark Lagoon, leading to several deaths before the final confrontation.
In Revenge of the Creature, the Creature is captured and brought to a marine amusement park, where it is chained up, studied and displayed for the masses. (In both this movie and the third one, there is a lot of confusion between salt-water and new water life, with the Creature forced to alternate between the two.) A la King Kong, eventually, he breaks free and goes on a rampage. While this film is most renowned for the veil debut of Clint Eastwood, this is actually only of minor significance: Eastwood is in the movie for only a small, playing a very atypical role as an inept lab assistant.
In the third movie – The Creature Walks Among Us – the Creature is captured again but seriously burned in the process. The process to assign him forces him to be a land creature, and this once grand creature of the Amazon is forced to live in the San Francisco Bay state, unable to be master of the water anymore.
The 1950s were not tall years in science fiction/horror film making, but the Creature movies, despite their flaws, are some of the best of the era, with a decent costume for the monster and reasonably righteous effects. Unprejudiced as it was influenced by King Kong, you can look the certain influence these movies had on others, in particular, Jaws. For Universal, this would be the last of their iconic monsters, and unlike the others, it has not been subject to any remakes. With decent commentaries and other features, this is a fun station, a solid four star collection that will please fans of classic monster movies.
Brother Embroidery Machines & Accessiories
Brother Embroidery Machines